Cover Stories
by KitsuneGamerGirl
Summary: Some of Shinra's most famous employees' musings on their jobs and why they are where they are. Rating changed for language.
1. Circumstantial

Cover Stories

_Note: Something I came up with that's well suited to my non-existent attention span. Short little drabbles for each Shinra employee, talking about their job or their motivations, starting with the Turks. Eventually I hope to get to everyone, but I won't keep going if nobody's into it. R&R, please!_

_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and related stuff belongs to Square Enix._

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Circumstantial (Rude)

I'm always the one in the room during interrogations.

It's logical. I wouldn't expect anything else. After all, who would be intimidated by the skinny little blonde girl?

Of course I never say anything. Why bother? It's not my job. I get paid to scare the shit out of people. Persuasion without a word.

Oh, we do more than just kill people. How are you supposed to get information from a dead man? There's plenty of variety with this job.

The job. It's really a dream job, isn't it? Yeah, I can just picture some little kid in class on career day saying, "I want to be a Turk when I grow up!"

Even we were human, even children, once.

And let me tell you, none of us were dreaming of this.

Me, Reno, and Elena were all from the slums. What, did you think were misguided rich kids or something? Let the rich kids be doctors and lawyers. Let the slum trash clean up. Don't let the suit fool you.

None of us dreamt of it, but in the slums, few question fate. There's not enough time. People to see, drugs to do, whores to sell. You know the deal. Who's going to sit around daydreaming when there's money to be made? If there's one thing you learn, it's never waste a good opportunity. They're as rare and as hard to succeed with as a 1,000 gil note.

We do what we can, as victims of circumstance.

Let the rich, the Shinra, do what they want.

The Turks will clean it up.


	2. Bitter

_Note: I fixed the misspelling of Lucrecia's name. Apologies! I wasn't paying attention._

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Bitter (Vincent)

I still remember vividly the day I became a Turk.

I remember the look on Veld's face when I took down the target a mile away.

I remember the first time I saw Lucrecia. It was my first day, walking to my office. She was standing off to the side of the hallway, talking to Gast. The first thing I noticed was her eyes.

I remember thinking that every person had their own reasons for doing what they do. A few even have purpose. It was not the reasons that led me to becoming a Turk. It was when I became a Turk that I thought I found the reasons. I told her this. She responded by smiling in that knowing way she used to.

I had fancied myself some kind of dark knight then, saving her by fighting the enemy.

I was a killer, plain and simple. It was my justification. A so-called reason.

I remember the Jenova project. Lucrecia would talk about it incessantly. She thought it was the key to her future.It was the key to our downfall. In reality, we ourselves caused our own downfall. We are the instigators of our own destruction.

I still remember her screaming from the depths of that basement hell.

Purpose and reason aren't all they're cracked up to be.


	3. Without Remorse

_Note: Okay, I lied. It isn't Turks first. Right now, I'm working on Reeve's story. I just can't decide what to do with Reno and Tseng's, because I don't want them to be too clichéd._

_Note 2: I know this is short, but I felt that if I added more, it would just weigh it down._

_Final Note: Changed around a bit, mostly putting together the single lines. A big thank you to T. Pirate and drakonlily for taking the time to reveiw and adding some helpful suggestions. I have been a fan of your stories for a long time, so it's an honor!_

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Without Remorse (Rufus)

People are such hypocrites.

All that self righteous indignation, when if they had what I had, they would do the same.

I'm not going to pretend to be a kind person. I am what I am and I'm not going to hide it.

I couldn't stand my father. His rationalizations. Always trying to play the part of the people's president. The obsession with money. The list goes on. Some say money is power. I believe that money is nothing without power.

I have no problem with doing whatever I need to secure my position. I'm certainly not afraid to say so.

Things are going to be different around here. You can say whatever you want about me. It's probably true.

But I'm the one in control, and you'll be the one to pay the price.


	4. Twilight

_Note: I know this is a little different, at least for me, because now I'm used to drakonlily's Reeve. Still, when I first played the game, he was the only Shinra exec that struck me as being reluctant about what Shinra was doing. R&R, and tell me if you like the direction these characters are going in. I might use them in a different story. I'm probably going to do more in the BC universe though. Could you tell I'm a fan?_

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Twilight (Reeve)

You can't even see the stars in Midgar.

I stand on my balcony and look up. All there is a murky darkness slowly being eaten up by the unnatural glow of mako lights.

It's not inspiring.

I thought by joining Shinra that things would be different. I had I hoped I could make a difference. But how do you change a company that has even taken away the stars?

I knew that I wasn't going to change the world. I'm not that delusional. I thought though I might still have some influence, especially after becoming head of Urban Development. What I really became was a pawn.

I know I should have seen that, too. I was naïve in my initial intentions. I grew up on the plate. I never really had anything to complain about. I had a decent family, never went hungry. But I had been to the slums before, and knew how bad it was. At least I thought so. Anyway, I wanted to do something to help.

I went to college and got my degree in business. I knew I wanted a good position in Shinra, and that was the place to start. My parents were proud of me. Though we had lived on the plate, many times we were on the verge of having to move to the slums. My parents worked day and night just to keep us where we were. They thought I would be the first in the family to really move up in the world. I did. I have a high position. I have a nice paycheck. I even have respect, at least from a few people.

I'm not sure if it was worth it. I find myself questioning what I'm doing more often. I haven't accomplished what I wanted to, of that, I am sure.

Rufus wants me to spy on what's left of AVALANCHE, in case they get information or something we don't have.

I wonder how much they will accomplish? I wonder what I will do…


	5. Soldier Girl

_Note: Sorry 'bout the lapse in updating, I'm currently on the verge of losing my mind. Oddly enough, it got me to work on some things again._

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Soldier Girl (Scarlet)

My parents practically ignored me after I joined SOLDIER.

Sure, we still talk every once in a while, but it's always fake. You know, "Hi, how are you, fine, good," that kind of conversation. Gods forbid we actually really talk.

I'm an only child, and they wanted me to do something safe. Unfortunately for them, I never really gave a shit about safe. Never did, never will. They didn't like that. I guess some people just aren't big fans of ambition.

I could tell you some sob story about how hard it was to be the poor girl trying to prove herself to the boys, beating the odds, and all that. That's what people like to hear, they just eat it up. Well, that's not how it is.

I kicked ass and took no prisoners.

A lot of people think I slept my way to being the head of Weapons Development. I didn't. That's the easy way, and it doesn't get you any respect. I got there by being the best, by being smarter, stronger, more cunning, and less weak. I wouldn't have things any other way. I never settle for second. I worked my way through SOLDIER, then the corporate ranks, and I never compromised.

People say that you can never get anywhere like that, that you have to be a team player. That's shit. In Shinra, you have to stand your ground, not be some waffling little yes-man, or you'll be eaten alive.

I don't care what people say. I never listened before, and I won't start now.


	6. Whisper

_Note: The last line in this story is from Macbeth. I thought it was fitting for the Turks, and the rest of Shinra as well._

_Note 2: I didn't make it too long or personal, because I don't think Tseng is like that. He's more like the observer._

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Whisper (Tseng)

Shinra is an interesting place.

Outsiders don't know the half of it. Most people below the 60th floor don't know either. It's to be expected. That's what happens when people get too much power and too much money.

All of the secrets and rumors that float around, drifting from person to person. It's hard to believe that anyone really knows anyone else. Nobody's about to tell the truth, though. There's things about me too, but I don't really care. I'm a Turk, therefore I have no personal life. I sold my soul to Shinra ages ago.

We all have pasts. Skeletons in the closet, if you'll pardon the cliché. Many skeletons, in some cases. Both literally and figuratively.

Nobody really knows the whole story. Keeping the truth hidden is a skill required to become an executive. The company is built on secrets.

False face must hide what the false heart doth know.


	7. Disconnect

_Note: Hopefully next week I'll have some new things up. I've got some ideas started and I should be able to get them done within the next week or so, due to some days off. Woo-hoo! Also made litle format changes, I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I want things. _

_Thanks for the awesome reviews, it really makes my day to see them! I'm having more fun than I thought with this, which is good, because it means I have somewhere to go when I feel like beating my head against a wall. I might do a LJ or something to stop taking up room here with all my notes._

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Disconnect (Elena) 

I bet you think I was the popular one, little miss blonde Barbie, the one always in the center of attention.

I hated being around people. I never was all that good at interacting with them. I didn't really care, either. I just kept to myself, in my own private world, where all the usual rules didn't apply.

I wanted to be a Turk because it was a world separate from the real one. Shinra made its own rules. Its executives and insiders lived in a world all their own. The Turks, also, weren't restricted by the constraints of society and everyday life. It was what I wanted. Everyone thought of me as nothing more than a stereotype, but I was far from average, and the fact that nobody bothered to consider that always made me so mad. It was fine though, and I did my best to ignore it. I knew where I wanted to be, and that was more than enough. There was only one option for me, and that was to be a Turk.

I didn't really know the extent of how separate the inner circle of Shinra truly was from the rest of the world. But even if I could leave, I wouldn't. This is my reality now.

Oh, by the way, you know the "popular girl" of my old school? I shot her during a job cleaning up a cartel that had made its way onto the plate. She was a whore and a runner for them.

Fate is funny like that, isn't it?


	8. Miniature Disasters

_Note__: Yes, another chapter, finally! Also, the title comes from a KT Tunstall song. Have fun!_

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Miniature Disasters (Veld)

I knew that kid was trouble form the instant he walked through my door. He leaned agains my doorframe, smirked irreverently, and said,

"How's it goin', old man?"

I knew I was going to want to strangle him at least once daliy. Two or more on bad days. Or was it good days? Hell, I don't know anymore. How many good days can you really have as a Turk? It had always pretty much been the same.

Until that little punk came strolling into HQ, and our lives.

Up until that point, I felt like I was just another worker. Then when he shows up, all of a sudden I have someone to look after, and every once in a while, actually teach something. Then I thought maybe being a leader wasn't so bad after all, and maybe it was something I was cut out to do.

There were so many things with him. Dear gods, every day was an adventure. Sometimes I think that maybe he did some of it just to see how far he could push me. But that was mostly little stuff. Then he goes and falls for that woman, the one who worked in the science department. The one married to Hojo.

I never really trusted those scientists, especially the ones on the Jenova Project. What bothered me was their eyes. There was just something…different. Some people mistook that for ambition, but I knew better. There's a fine line between ambition and obsession, and they had crossed it long ago. The statement that the eyes are a window to the soul is a cliché and an understatement. They weren't just a window. Eyes were a part of one's soul.

He always said I rambled too much when I started talking like that.

Damn Valentine, I swear, I can hear him laughing now.


	9. Truth

_Note: Some of this may feel a little like Rude's, and I'm fully aware of that. They may seem like opposites, but there has to be something there they have in common. Also, I would think most people who grew up in the slums would have a somewhat similar view on life._

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Truth (Reno)

I'm sure you already have your idea of what I am.

I'm not here to convince you of anything. Honestly, I couldn't give a shit. As long as I'm sure of myself, what else does it matter? When I'm on a mission, there's only two things I can count on: me, and my team.

I trust them with my life. We all do. It wouldn't work if we didn't.

People assume Turks are trash because of what they do. Maybe, but at least I can be honest with myself about it. Yeah, I kill people. I know it. At least I don't run around having other people do it for me and write it off as business so I can sleep at night.

I'll also tell you that I can't stand Shinra. Then you might say, "So why work for them?"

Well, what the fuck else am I supposed to do, pray tell? There isn't a large amount of opportunities for drug running slum kids. At least Shinra pays well, gives me a decent place to live, and gives me what I need to get the job done. People who grow up in the slums aren't so stupid to pass up such a good offer. So what if it isn't the moral thing to do? Morals don't pay the rent and put food on the table. They have a realistic view of life. They aren't going to college, they won't be some fucking sugar coated success story on a talk show. As much as people like to believe that, it's just not real.

That's just how it is. You can either accept it, or don't.


	10. Falling

_Note: Okay, here we go. The Hojo chapter. This one's for Tijuana Pirate, who requested it, I don't know how this will be. I'll try my best, though._

_There's not much rhyme, reason, or length to this, but I would think it fits._

_Edit: Ending was changed slightly. Feel free to tell me if this works better, or if I should leave Hojo to the pros._

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Falling (Hojo) 

There is something beautiful about a lab.

Not just the environment, which in itself is worthy of merit, but even more so the reason for which they exist. Creation. Taking tools from nature and creating what it couldn't.

The Jenova project was the chance of a lifetime to create true power, undisputable power. The cells, injected into a ordinary human. But that was just the beginning! I was getting somewhere…on the verge of a breakthrough.

The Jenova project had so much potential. But then those fuck ups had to ruin it! The pettiness of human emotions. They have no place in a lab. Because of it, I lost my best subject. There was little else I could do. Everything else seemed inferior.

But I won't give up. Not when I've come this far.

I was made for the very same reason as the lab was.


End file.
